Be Cool: Ultimate 120/140 mm Fans Roundup. Page 9

After a month of hard work and numerous experiments on a new unique testbed we are proud to offer you a roundup including 57 models of fans from 25 different product series collected from all over the world.

GELID Solutions Silent 12 PWM, TC (FN-P(T)X12-15)

Two next fan models also come from GELID Solutions and are also made in China. However, they belong to a lower price range. The Silent fan series ships in small not very brightly colored boxes with small triangle cut out windows on the front:

The accessories bundle of these fans is also much smaller and includes only four short silicone mounts and a sticker with the company logo:

However, despite the simplicity of these fans, we can’t complain about their quality as well as about the manufacturer’s attention to little things (such as long 500 mm braided cable or round rods, for example). The fans measure 120x120x25 mm and weigh 130 g. Each of them has seven blades and a 43 mm rotor (in diameter):

The blades of these fans don’t have anything innovative about them and look pretty common.

The fans rotation speed can be adjusted from 750 to 1500 RPM, but in different ways. As you may have already guessed, the fan with “PWM” in the model name uses pulse-width modulation method, while the one with “TC” index is controlled by a thermal diode. The maximum airflow for the fans of this series is claimed to be 58 CFM and the noise level varies between 12 and 25.5 dBA. In other words, Silent fans shouldn’t be any louder than Wing 12 fans at the same rotation speed. However, they should have lower static pressure – it is claimed at 1.6 mmH2O.

The fans from Silent series are built using fluid dynamic bearings with 50,000 hours MTBF.

Silent 12 fans have slightly lower current and power consumption than Wing 12 fans: 0.18 A and 2.16 W respectively. Their recommended retain price is pretty low: $12 for the PWM model and $13 for TC one. They come with the same 5-year warranty.

Let’s take a look at the test results obtained for Silent 12 fans:

Although GELID Solutions Silent fans are cheaper than Wing, their airflow is almost the same and is also linearly dependent on the rotation speed. However, these models run noisier. These fans perform in acoustically comfortable range only at 810 RPM and 6.6 V voltage, but the good thing is that we noticed no rumbling of any kind at any speed. Of course, since they used a different bearing type (fluid dynamic bearings usually work very quietly). GELID Solutions Silent refused to work at 3 V. The startup voltage setting was registered at 4.2 V.